Written by the author of the ever-popular Jane Eyre, Villette is widely admired as Charlotte Brontë's finest work. The story follows the fortunes of a young teacher at a girls' school in the French town of Villette and is superbly told by Mandy Weston. It is an adventure story, a romance, and a French lesson all in one! The much-praised unabridged recording returns here in a more accessible abridged format.

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Listener Opinions

Kelly | 2/2/2014

" Wonderfully pretty in the home stretch, but the emotional resonance of the first 450 pages is all but doused by Bronte's compulsion to write, write, write, write, write. The four-star review is a testament to the power of the ending. "

Julie | 2/1/2014

" Can't believe I actually finished this, what a slog. "

Cassie | 1/8/2014

" Loved this book...oh, but the ending. Left me a bit heartsick. "

Barbara | 1/2/2014

" Another classic I did not enjoy. The funny part was that some parts were quite intersting but there were a lot of parts I simply Hated. The characters have nothing to like and are constantly behaving as if they suffer from multiple personalities. The fact that our heroine (weven though she doesn't behave as one) doesn't get a happy ending is quite refreshing and sad. "

Daniel G. | 12/15/2013

" This was another of those titles chosen for first year English at La Trobe university. While I found a lot of books and authors that I would never have bothered to read otherwise, this one has left no impression and I have no memory of it. So many of the books from then I still have clear memories of, but this one is forgettable. "

Nate Dorward | 12/14/2013

" When I read this as a teen I just could NOT believe it would end that way... I had to reread it to realize what it was actually saying. An astonishing book, from its duplicitious first-person narrator (who at one point actively disguises a key revelation from the reader!) to its memorable climax in a drugged-out haze. As with Great Expectations, the reappearance of characters you thought were incidental, in more meaningful of sinister guises, gives the entire book an uncanny, brooding, nearly paranoid feeling. "

Debbie | 12/10/2013

" I think the length made this one harder to read then Jane Eyre -- but since then, I have tackled MUCH longer books. Might have to read it again. "

Cari Mcconnell | 12/9/2013

" I read this book as part of a Major English Authors class. For the class we read Charlotte Bronte's entire scope of work. This book was my favorite. I enjoyed the strong female role, the gothic themes, the contradictions, ect. All and all it was the easiest to read and the most enjoyable, and I agreed with many of the points made. I feel like Charlotte wrote herself into this book. Also I am uber interested in victorian notions of insanity, which is touched in a pretty sneaky way. "

Vero | 12/4/2013

" So freaking boring, I thought I'd never get to the end of it. And it's definitely not better than Jane Eyre. "

Angela Duea | 9/16/2013

" Many reviewers say that this is Charlotte's best novel, but I was so bored during the first half that I couldn't finish reading it. I see the brilliance, but didn't appreciate it. Maybe I'll give it another try someday. "

Lynda Peev | 8/15/2013

" Very close to Charlotte Bronte's most famous work "Jane Eyre" and that's exactly why I nearly loved it. Why nearly? because Mr. Paul Emanuelle was quite annoying at the beginning actually. But after all, I must confess that it is the best "co-incident" plot of a book ever! "

B.J. | 7/17/2013

" hadn't read a 19th century classic in quite some time. How they do go on. A bit long-winded but charmingly so. Lots of french in the book. Made me think of how bilingual Europeans are as compared to we Americans. Luckily, I have some French. "

Sarah Zilka | 6/12/2013

" It was good until the very very end. No resolution. It just stopped. There was no end there was a stop. I stayed up late because it got too good to put down. Then there is more self-righteous suffering and then it ends. It doesn't matter about the rest of the book. The end was so disappointing. "

Susan | 5/7/2013

" Found this difficult to get into...didn't quite grasp where the author was leading the reader. Never finished the book. "

Martha | 3/25/2013

" Hard to give this one an accurate rating, because I read it so long ago. But I think three stars is about right. "

Geraldine | 2/10/2013

" I was so unbelievably happy but then that ending. "

Heather Bailey | 1/21/2013

" I found it slow until about page 200. Brilliant read...hard to swallow. "

shirley | 11/1/2012

" A wordy long laborious book. "

Gemma | 7/22/2012

" this story makes me feel like I can do anything...and anything can happen "

Amelia | 6/1/2012

" I finally gave up at 35%, which for such a long book, is a good long trial. The writing was laboured and I truly disliked Lucy. I just wasn't prepared to continue reading about her for another umpteen words. I like a lot of classics, but this wasn't one of them. It was just too painful! "

ChloÃ« | 5/14/2012

" Read it because I love Jane Eyre so much. It's fine, but far, far, far too long for a book where almost nothing happens. If you persevere, the ending is good, but not sure it's worth the struggle. "

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